# 人定胜天

rén dìng shèng tiān

Human determination can overcome natural obstacles

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Human resolve defeats heaven

**Traditional Chinese:** 人定勝天

**Register:** Emphatic · literary

[Effort & growth](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/effort)

## When to use it

Express confidence in collective effort against difficult conditions.

A motivational claim, not denial of ecological limits or safety.

## Understanding the expression

The expression sets human effort against forces that appear beyond control. It conveys confidence that planning, knowledge, and determination can overcome severe obstacles. Engineering and disaster recovery often provide the context. The claim is rhetorical rather than a scientific guarantee of mastery over nature. Modern readers should preserve respect for physical limits and environmental consequences. A successful project usually depends on understanding those conditions, not merely insisting that strong will can override them.

## Examples

修渠成功后，村民感叹人定胜天。

### Traditional Chinese

修渠成功後，村民感嘆人定勝天。

xiū qú chéng gōng hòu ， cūn mín gǎn tàn rén dìng shèng tiān 。

After the canal succeeded, villagers celebrated human determination.

他相信人定胜天，却也认真分析地质。

### Traditional Chinese

他相信人定勝天，卻也認真分析地質。

tā xiāng xìn rén dìng shèng tiān ， què yě rèn zhēn fēn xī dì zhì 。

He believes in human effort and studies the geology carefully.

故事以人定胜天的信念鼓舞读者。

### Traditional Chinese

故事以人定勝天的信念鼓舞讀者。

gù shì yǐ rén dìng shèng tiān de xìn niàn gǔ wǔ dú zhě 。

The story inspires confidence in human determination.

不能借人定胜天忽视防洪标准。

### Traditional Chinese

不能借人定勝天忽視防洪標準。

bù néng jiè rén dìng shèng tiān hū shì fáng hóng biāo zhǔn 。

Confidence in human effort does not justify ignoring flood standards.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9A%E5%8B%9D%E5%A4%A9)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=569&webMd=1&la=0)

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